The invention relates to an axle or shaft seal having inner and outer, relatively-rotatable sealing rings.
A seal of this type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,094,518. In it, the sealing pressures exerted on the outer ring by stradling first and second flanges on the inner ring are due to the shape of the inner ring, the elastic properties of the material of which the inner ring is made, and the position of the inner ring relative to the outer ring. As a result, the cross-sectional configuration of the inner ring is rather complex, and complicated tools are therefore required to fabricate it, increasing the cost of the seal product.
Further, a compromise must be made with regard to the materials used because, on the one hand, high contact pressure is required to obtain effective sealing while, on the other hand, the frictional resistance should be as low as possible to minimize transmission losses. The compromise solutions arrived at therefore always leave much to be desired in both respects.
Still further, the precise alignment between the inner and outer rings for effecting the sealing pressure requires extensive adjustment during installation. This work necessarily comes to naught when axial displacements between the parts to be sealed occur in operation as a result of load changes during torque transmission, for example.